Chris Brown returns with the ‘umpteenth single’ from his double album ‘Heartbreak on a Full Moon,’ “Only 4 Me.” Ty Dolla $ign and Verse Simmonds guest.

The bad boy is back – Chris Brown.  After a two-year hiatus, he returns with a double album, Heartbreak on a Full Moon.  Heartbreak on a Full Moon, which follows up Royalty (2015), arrives as a purposeful off-cycle release on Halloween (Tuesday, October 31).  Ahead of the album, he’s released a number of singles and teaser tracks, including “Only 4 Me,” featuring Ty Dolla $ign and Verse Simmonds.

“Only 4 Me” features slick production work, intact with bright synths.  Adding to the brightness, “Only 4 Me” is set in a major key.  The overall sound of the record is infectious, inviting the listener in.  Verse Simmonds handles the intro and the first verse.  The approach is pop-rap. Ty Dolla $ign sings the second verse, sounding superb in this particular setting.  The chorus, performed by Chris Brown, is good, but not great.  It’s catchy enough, but not the most memorable ever.

“Faces in my pillow case / Mascara on my sheets, sheets / She shake it for the money / She shake it like a freak / Only for me, me, oh / Tonight, only for me, me, me…”

Brown finally arrives for his own verse on the third verse of the song.  It’s filled with auto tune and effects – singing as opposed to rap. The biggest selling point of Brown’s performance is the falsetto. The tempo slows towards the end of this cut. Interestingly, there’s a shift to the relative minor as opposed to the major key that characterizes the majority of “Only 4 Me.”

Final Thoughts

All in all, “Only 4 Me” is one of the better singles that Chris Brown has released ahead of Heartbreak on a Full Moon.  The biggest rub is that it’s too long. Still, plenty to like.

Chris Brown • Heartbreak on a Full Moon • RCA • Release: 10.31.17

Photo Credit: RCA